Page 78 - b-all53

An exceptional and courageous young woman, she required further surgery in
1920, and her father then expressed his concern over the features of his beloved
daughter.
From that time on, she became a supporting figure alongside Henriette Darricarrère,
a professional model. Marguerite married the writer Georges Duthuit in 1923 and
disappeared from her father’s paintings. She remained very close to him and took on
the difficult role of intermediary between Matisse, who had settled in Nice, and the
numerous requests his fame attracted from collectors, art dealers, curators, and his-
torians.
A true warrior, her courage brought her to the heart of the resistance, and she was
arrested and tortured. Matisse, deeply moved, discovered his daughter’s new suffering
and created poignant portraits of his child, who had become the mother of his only
son, Claude, whom he also painted with profound tenderness.
Marguerite remained forever devoted to the defense of Matisse’s art and, in addition
to hanging his exhibitions, took on the responsibility of compiling a catalogue raison-
né of his work, though she was never able to complete it.
Matisse and his daughter were able to combine art and love
in the pure colors of eternity.
Henri Matisse
Marguerite
Collioure, circa 1906-1907
Black ink on paper
35 x 26.5 cm
Private collection, Wayland, Massachusetts
Credit: Christie’s Images / BridgemanImages